The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) published, this Tuesday, September 1, 2026, a new circular addressed to banks setting the conditions and organizational procedures they must follow in handling loan and honor microfinancing applications, in application of the provisions of Decree No. 148 of 2026, dated July 23, 2026.
“This circular aims to standardize the mechanism for receiving client requests with banks subject to the provisions of this decree, in order to enshrine the principle of equality among applicants and to guarantee the ranking of files according to their submission order,” reads a BCT press release.
To this end, the circular requires each bank to set up a digital platform through which the requests of clients wishing to benefit from a loan or honor financing must be deposited, obligatorily and exclusively, starting from October 1, 2026.
Each digital platform must record the date and time of the submission of the request and issue to the client a receipt by any means that leaves a written trace. This system will allow classifying requests according to their order of arrival and calculating the expected timelines for their review and processing.
The BCT added that this orientation is part of the development of banking services and the simplification of procedures. These platforms will also strengthen the transparency of the steps and the reliability of the process for processing requests submitted by clients, in compliance with the legislative and regulatory provisions relating to personal data protection as well as the information security requirements.
Before the platforms go into service and under the supervision of the Central Bank of Tunisia, banks must take the necessary communication measures to inform notably about the conditions and procedures for submitting requests, as well as the different steps of their examination and processing. Information and awareness capsules will soon be broadcast across the various available communication channels.
The BCT finally clarified that the choice of October 1, 2026 as the effective date of the circular and the launch of the digital platforms reflects the will to implement the technical and procedural requirements necessary for the effective and adequate application of the legal framework related to credits and honor microfinancing, while working toward achieving the economic and social objectives that motivated the establishment of this system.
